Vertical Shaft

Captain Kepler knew that the mine was inhabited by a group of prisoners and bandits, and that they were capable of anything...

Among those Gray Dwarf and Dark Moon Elf, although there were no strong individuals, they were a group of prisoners who had lost their freedom, trapped in the mines for decades, with no end in sight for the future.

The Rope Ladder had been placed on the edge of the mine shaft for several days, but none of the prisoners or robbers had considered coming out of the mine.

This alone made Captain Kepler have reservations.

Captain Kepler and Roy were not familiar with each other; this was their first meeting.

But he knew that Roy was Earl Swynborne's man, and if something really happened to Roy, he, as the commander of the Guard Regiment, would probably be finished. His family was not capable of protecting him from Earl Swynborne's wrath.

Roy smiled at Captain Kepler and said, "Captain Kepler, Mulin and I just want to go down into the well to investigate the situation. There won't be any danger."

At this moment, the Half-Elf female swordsman walked up the stairs into the inner courtyard and went straight to the mine. She held onto the well's edge with both hands and peered inside. The deep well opening was constantly emitting cool air, and there was even a whistling sound coming from inside.

Mulin had the Half-Elf beside her pull the boom over, inspected the pulley system and ropes on the hoist, and then went to inspect the Wooden Box next to her.

It seems they're determined to go down into the mine...

He also Magic Inscription Construct, seemingly genuinely wanting to go down the well with the Half-Elf female swordsman.

Seeing that he couldn't stop Roy, Kepler, the Captain Kepler, quickly pulled him aside and said:

"Roy, if you really intend to go down the well, I'll pick a few of the best soldiers from the regiment, and we'll go down with you to investigate!"

At this moment, Mulin sat down by the well, put on a pair of combat boots, and then began to put on Light Armor. She even tied her blonde hair into a bun, immediately showing a heroic and dashing appearance.

"Roy, Captain Kepler, this rescue of the Half-Elf was originally our responsibility. The situation down in the mine is complicated, so I'll go check it out first..."

After stretching his legs and arms and checking the sword at his waist, he jumped directly into the Wooden Box.

Mulin had already instructed several Half-Elf Warrior guarding the mine to lower her into the mine.

The Half-Elf stood there, stunned.

They were brought by Mulin, Mulin was their captain, and naturally didn't want Mulin to put herself in danger...

Roy also grabbed the straightforward Mulin and said to her:

"Mulin, don't rush. Captain Kepler's suggestion just now reminded me that we can actually organize an elite team to go down into the well to explore."

Mulin immediately said to Roy, "Then I want to be the first to join!"

Thinking that Roy wanted to organize an elite reconnaissance team, Mulin said, "Roy, I can call a few more helpers to join us..."

Before Mulin could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Captain Kepler.

"Let our Guard Regiment handle this task. The Elf Warrior I've brought are mostly veterans who experienced the Queen Ivini Islands Naval Battle; they have a wealth of combat experience," said Captain Kepler.

Roy hadn't actually planned to explore the mine so soon, mainly because the underground was too dangerous for him...

But seeing that the Half-Elf couldn't climb out of the mine, Mulin became anxious, and Roy had no choice but to consider going down to the bottom of the mine to take a look.

Many things involve both danger and benefit...

Roy was somewhat surprised that Captain Kepler would actually offer to help.

Roy grabbed Mulin's arm; the Light Armor felt slightly cool to the touch.

"Mulin, I need an elf who knows the conditions down in the mine to come with us," Roy said to Mulin.

Mulin immediately thought of Walker. Just last month, he was a miner in the First Mine. She believed he must be very familiar with the tunnels at the bottom of the mine.

"I can go talk to Walker," Mulin said, and then ran up the stairs.

Roy then turned to Captain Kepler and said with a smile, "Captain Kepler, you really didn't need to take this risk with us!"

"Protecting you is our Guard Regiment's duty, and having a few more helpers going down together will allow us to look after each other." Captain Kepler forced a smile, trying to make it seem more natural.

Since Captain Kepler said so, Roy didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "Captain Kepler, if possible... please find two archers. I think forming a five-man team would be enough to handle any emergency underground."

"No problem!" Captain Kepler also ran upstairs to the dormitory to call over several archers with superb archery skills.

Although they were Guard Regiment, most of the Elf Warrior in the regiment were skilled archers.

They saw the commander chatting with the newly arrived Half-Elf at the well's edge, while a Guard Regiment stood behind the corridor, hoping to glean some information.

"You guys, go to the dorm and call Ed and Bruno out!"

Captain Kepler looked up, pointed at several guards standing by the fence, and gave the order! The Silver Moon Elf Warrior had been watching the commotion from upstairs immediately ran into the dormitory, laughing and joking, upon hearing Captain Kepler's command.

A short while later, two young elves emerged from the dormitory. Surrounded by others, they stood by the fence and asked Captain Kepler:

"Commander, you wanted to see me?"

Captain Kepler nodded and instructed the two young Silver Moon Elf, "Quickly put on your armor and come with me on this mission!"

The two Elf Warrior immediately saluted Captain Kepler, then turned and ran back to their quarters. They changed into exquisite leather armor with openwork patterns, quickly checked their longbows and quiver, and then rushed downstairs.

Neither of them even asked Captain Kepler where they were going this time...

Not long after, Mulin brought Walker over.

Perhaps because he had lived in the mine for too long, he now unconsciously hunches over when he walks.

Walker didn't say anything, but followed Mulin silently, seemingly also ready to go down the well.

"I guess even if I don't say it, everyone knows our destination is underground."

Roy pointed to the mine shaft next to him and said.

"This reconnaissance operation may encounter some unforeseen dangers, so I'll say it again: if you want to back out now, it's not too late. Anyone who doesn't want to take the risk can turn around and leave, and I won't hesitate to do so!"

Not only did Mulin and Walker show no sign of backing down, but the two Silver Moon Elf Archer also stood firm.

"Since everyone is willing to take the risk with me, let's set off now!" Roy said, then jumped onto the large Wooden Box beside the mine.

Mulin jumped up without hesitation, and when Walker jumped over the Wooden Box, Mulin even pulled him back.

Captain Kepler jumped into the Wooden Box with two archers and introduced them to Roy: "These two young elves are recognized as the best archers in our Guard Regiment. This one is Ed, and this is Bruno."

Without waiting for Roy to speak, he instructed the group of Silver Moon Elf Warrior who rushed down from upstairs, "After we go down, you few must stay here and guard this place without leaving for a moment. As soon as you see a distress signal coming from the mine, pull the Wooden Box up."

Upon hearing what Captain Kepler said, the group of Silver Moon Elf Warrior realized that these people wanted to enter the mine. Some of the elves quickly tried to dissuade them, saying, "Commander, we have no idea what it's like down in the mine. I think we should avoid the risk!"

"Commander, how about we ask the Valley Camp to send some strong reinforcements?"

The Silver Moon Elf Warrior chattered amongst themselves.

Captain Kepler, with a stern face, reprimanded:

"Once a decision has been made, there's no need to discuss it further."

Seeing that Captain Kepler had jumped into the Wooden Box and had no intention of leaving, Roy quickly reminded him, "Captain Kepler, now that we have enough men, we should set off now. You can wait for our news up there..."

Unexpectedly, Captain Kepler raised his left arm, patted the Iris Shield on it, and said to Roy, "I am the best guard knight in our Guard Regiment. Look at my shield. When we are exploring the mine, I can be at the very front of the team. Alright, enough of this nonsense, let's go!"

At Captain Kepler's command, the surrounding Silver Moon Elf Warrior began operating the crane...

Roy originally planned to form a five-person team, but now it has become a six-person team.

As the Wooden Box slowly sank into the mine, the expressions on the team members' faces turned serious.

The mine exit was covered in moss. After the Wooden Box descended more than 20 meters, the fishy smell of the moss gradually turned into the smell of the rock wall itself.

Because it was night outside, everyone quickly adapted to the darkness after entering the shaft.

After passing through a rock layer of forty to fifty meters, which was of the same type as the mountain, the rock layer turned into a strip of shale further down, and water kept seeping out from the cracks in the shale, making the walls of the shaft wet.

The dangling Rope Ladder was also wet...

The shaft narrows down to the bottom, and standing on the edge of the Wooden Box, you can easily reach out and touch the cold, uneven rock wall.

The mine ventilation system is very well constructed; even at this depth, I don't feel stuffy at all.

As the surrounding shale belt transformed into large blocks of Lapis Lazuli, Roy couldn't help but marvel at the skill of the miners who had carved the shaft. To be able to carve a skylight into such hard Lapis Lazuli was something not everyone could do. Further down, one could see some scattered Gemstone Mine interspersed among the rock layers. This should be where one had entered the vein, but these Gemstone Mine were rather scattered and of extremely poor quality, not even reaching the lowest grade, so naturally they had no value for mining.

The Wooden Box kept hanging down, Roy stood on the edge of the Wooden Box, touching the rock wall every now and then.

"Roy, what are you looking at?" Mulin couldn't help but ask.

Roy responded in a low voice, "This kind of shaft actually has a lot of drawbacks. I'm wondering if we could open up a new passage in this Gemstone Mine in the future."

"You mean a gentle passage? Doesn't that mean the entrance would have to be built at the foot of the mountain..." Actually, Mulin was quite resourceful.

However, Roy didn't consider opening another exit; instead, he wanted to build a spiral staircase around the shaft. Now, thinking about it, if there were a gentler Mine Road...

"What you said... isn't impossible!" Roy whispered to Mulin.

The Wooden Box had descended more than 100 meters deep. This mine was much deeper than the mine in the First Mine, and a faint stench of decay wafted into Roy's nostrils from the bottom of the mine.

Feeling that they were about to land, Captain Kepler lowered his voice and said, "We're almost at the bottom, keep quiet."

The lower part of the shaft became spacious again, and Roy could not even see the surrounding stone walls clearly.

The Rope Ladder was hanging down next to the Wooden Box. There was no sound in the mine, and it was pitch black all around. No one lit torches, and they just hid silently inside the Wooden Box.

Roy didn't see the miners until the Wooden Box landed safely.

Neither the Half-Elf nor the Silver Moon Elf prisoner nor the Gray Dwarf Bandit were seen...

Although it was pitch black at the bottom of the shaft, everyone had gotten used to the darkness and could see a distance of several meters.

Captain Kepler, holding his Iris Shield, was the first to jump out of the Wooden Box. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings, trying to get a clear look at the rock walls.

This is a space of only a dozen square meters. Captain Kepler has found an entrance, which should be the entrance to the mine. Some low-quality Spinel Ore can be found on the rock walls here.

An unusual silence fell over the surroundings. Two Elf Archer stood atop Wooden Box, shortbows and arrows in hand, warily surveying their surroundings...

It's impossible for this place to be unguarded, yet it's eerily quiet.

Roy sensed something was wrong and didn't want to grope around in the dark any longer. With a short prayer, a simple divine rune condensed into a dim holy light.

' Glimmer Illumination Spell '

Although the holy light was somewhat faint, its brightness extended to the surrounding walls.

There were also many Gemstone Mine piled up in the corner of the rock wall, and it was clear that these Gemstone Mine had been carefully classified.

As the dim holy light gradually dispelled the surrounding darkness, Roy was startled to see two Dark Moon Elf Prisoners were almost one with the darkness. They were wearing only tattered helmets, their hair haphazardly tied back, and they were crouching down, hiding next to the Wooden Box, each holding a black dagger, waiting for their chance to strike.

If it weren't for the ' Glimmer Illumination Spell ' that happened to shine on them...

If Roy took just one more step forward, his left leg would collide with the other man's dagger without the other man even lifting a finger.

But now, Roy stopped in his tracks, looking down at the Dark Moon Elf Prisoners, the Divine Light above his head emitting a dim light.

The Dark Moon Elf hiding beside the Wooden Box seemed unaware that he had been discovered; he remained motionless, not even daring to open his eyes wide...

Mulin, who was standing nearby, moved to the side of the Dark Moon Elf Prisoners Dark Moon Elf Prisoners making a sound, and struck him hard on the back of the neck with her unsheathed longsword, knocking him unconscious with lightning speed.

Another Half-Elf prisoner was also held to the neck by the Cape Town commander, followed by a Hand Blade the neck...